Baby Lead Weaning – Our Journey

Baby Lead Weaning

From a mum who has successfully weaned two babies, using mostly baby lead weaning.

My babies have been extra hungry since the hours following their births. By 4 months old milk just wasn’t satisfying them enough. I was a little apprehensive about weaning them so early, but they were becoming increasingly hungrier and despite an extra feeding or two of milk in the day, it just wasn’t enough.

From the research I had done into baby lead weaning, it wasn’t advisable to start before 6 months. So instead of diving straight into BLW I started spoon feeding them some puree. I started with some plain baby rice, once a day for a week. We then decided to move on to different flavours, and started introducing pureed vegetables, fruit and staples. Spoon feeding went well, and they both loved everything they tried.

Our Baby Lead Weaning Journey

At around 6 months old we started some BLW. On the menu to start with was very soft foods, including, blueberries, raspberries, bananas and boiled vegetables. This was the start of our BLW journey and we have not looked back since. We soon discovered that BLW suited our parenting style very well, and I just loved each meal time, watching them learn to pick up their own food and find their mouth still melts my heart! BLW also lead to some picture perfect photos, got to love a messy food face!

People are amazed when they see them both eating. They often ask me if there is anything they don’t like or if I had any issues with texture. BLW for us has been an absolute breeze, no issues with fussiness, no issues with texture. They both pretty much eat what my other half and I eat, from mild curries to roast dinners! I really love watching them eat, especially when they try something new.

BLW has also made eating out at restaurants hassle free, they can eat at the same time we do. I love that any meal time, whether at home or out and about, feel like such a social event. We talk about our food, and what we like best on the plate. Plus, family can look after the kids and I don’t have to worry about them not eating for anyone else because they feed themselves!

Concerns with Baby Lead Weaning

I am often asked if I had any worries about choking. Now gagging is completely normal, this is a new experience for your baby, and food touching the back of their throat as they try to swallow is going to make them gag to start with. There is always a possibility they will choke, after all they have to learn to eat. Although, research shows that choking occurs less in babies who have learn to eat by themselves. We did have a couple of heart stopping choking moments with my son, but he likes to shovel his food in!

I think that if you start with foods that they can easily mush in their mouth this minimises the risk slightly. As a trained nurse I knew exactly what to do if they did choke, so if you are really worried about this, find out if there are any first aid courses either in your area or online that cover choking. There is some great information from St John’s Ambulance on choking in infants, toddlers and children that I highly recommend.

Do they get enough to eat?

Purees are easier to portion out, so I can see whee this concern comes from. With BLW if my babies are still hungry after eating what I put on the plate I simply give them a little more or I give them a yoghurt. Your baby will let you know if they are still hungry so I don’t tend to worry of they are getting enough or not. Here is a great resource on how much children should be eating, that I use as a guide when I am making meals.

Over all I have enjoyed baby lead weaning, well except having to clean up afterwards! I am so please that neither of my babies are fussy with food, and I cannot wait to do it all again with baby number 3!

How did you wean your baby? Or are you planning on BLW? Let me know in the comments below.

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